Re: [Gringal] Lake Level?

The big difference is that now Guadalajara has a population of over 6 million people. Guad can draw off as much water as it needs to and it still won't be enough. Right now there are limits on what it can draw down. In a crisis, I assume they could draw down even more.

Re: [Gringal] Lake Level?

Actually, eons ago this lake stretched far beyond the mountains and through the valleys all the way to Guadalajara. It was vast. As to the building: to my knowledge there has been no plan made for infrastructure. CFE doesn't even have meters for the houses. Guess who's picking up that bill. They did purchase the well that was to have served El Chante. But the current wastewater treatment plant can barely handle what was already in place much less an addiitonal load. They'd rather ask forgtiveness than permission.

Re: [Gringal] Lake Level?

People were paid off to change the use of the area. Most of the purchasers are weekenders and/or holiday users from Guadalajara. So, ask yourselves, how many of you asked where the poop goes when you flush when you bought your houses down here? In the meanwhile, fortunately the use is only occasional. When it is all going to hit the fan is during Christmas vacations and Easter vacations. Actually, I don't think it's the fan that will be hit but the lake.

Re: [Georgia] Lake Level?

Georgia writes:Actually, eons ago this lake stretched far beyond the mountains and through the valleys all the way to Guadalajara. It was vast.If I am not mistaken, Georgia, what is now Lake Chapala once was one with the recently dried up Lake Sayula and was, as you suggested, a vast lake indeed.

I remember a few years ago when we first got here and there were local naysayers predicting the demise of Lake Chapala - an occurrence which these prognosticators had taking place before 2010, and, in turn, this was to presage the end of our pleasant valley as we know it which would then suffer from severely negative climatological changes that would bring about colder and hotter seasons and a parching of once fecund agricultural lands.

Those predictions reminded me of that locally famous book about Ajijic and Lake Chapala written under the nom de plume Dane Chandos in the 1940s when the author(s) owned a hotel on the lake. I think it was called A PLACE IN THE SUN or something like that. During the course of their tale, They had taken a motor trip from Lake Chapala past Lake Sayula in the early 1940s to some destination I can´t recall and, while passing Lake Sayula, reflected upon the fact that the lake was drying up and reputed to be on its way to becoming a dry lakebed in a few years which would result in the ruination of the hugely productive agricultural region surrounding the lake in those days. Well, Lake Sayula did, in fact, dry up and today is a vast salt bed strtching as far as the eye can see from the Guadalajara-Colima Autopista and, here, some 70 years later, the area surrounding the dry Sayula lakebed remains a vibrant and important agricultural region for Mexico despite the lake´s demise. So much for prescience as a tool for discerning future events.

Your comment, Georgia, about the disposition of copious amounts of untreated or partially treated human poop on major holidays after our newly constructed vacation villages fronting the lake just west of El Chante are completed and fully occupied with Tapatio weekenders and holiday makers, seems cogent to me. I have no idea what may come of the lake when these thousands of toilets are flushed during holiday merrymaking, but I am reminded of that old 1960s Steve McQueen movie, The Blob, where a radioactive blob of gump took over a whole town starting with the local movie theatre and proceeded to turn people into ,helpless dung beetles slithering about in agony and dying by the score and that´s what may be in store for us a few years down the line. Just so you´ll know, since you were kind enough to offer us a place to stay in El Chante if our Ajijic home should become one with the lake, I hereby extend an invitation to you and your family to stay in our guest bedroom at San Cristóbal safely residing some 1,500 kilometers southeast of the lake until a latter day Steve McQueen figures out a way to destroy this monster as it works its way up the lakefront intent on gobbling up Chapala after determining that there was nothing worth gobbling up in Jocotepec after it inadvertently slithered upon Roca Azul and quickly reversed course since everything there was already dead and provided no meaningul nutrition.

Re: [Hound Dog] Lake Level?

Dearest Dawg, 1. Prepare the raft. 2. Be aware that I have 10 children and 10 grandchldren, so when you invite me and my family you are inviting an entire pueblo. 3. Re: Steve McQueen movie: lay off the tequila for a day or two.

But do feel free to bring your lovely bride and moth eaten hounds down here in the raft in the event of Armageddon.

Re: [RickS] Lake Level?

For Rick who requested a "visual" - Steve Brown, who posts under "stevebrtx" and maintains the Lake Chapala Weather Net took these photos on August 17th. Click on the link below to go to a slideshow: http://www.flickr.com/...57624644167207/show/Regards, Neil Albuquerque, NM

Re: [chinagringo] Lake Level?

Gorgeous photos, thanks for the post. Like some other Mexconnect folks, I was at Lake Chapala when you literally could see only a tiny silver ribbon of water in the far distance, almost like a mirage. It's really a miracle to see the lake like this.

Re: [chinagringo] Lake Level?

Steve has now put a link not only to the new Lake Chapala photos but also to two aerial photos (not known when taken since dates are not accurate) that provide a great visual of how bad the Lake was. You will find the links directly below the Live Weather Cam window. Or, you can click on the links below: http://chapalaweather.net/chapala1.jpghttp://chapalaweather.net/chapala2.jpgRegards, Neil Albuquerque, NM

Re: [stevebrtx] Lake Level?

i currently live on the southside of the lake in san cristobal zapotitlan, which is basically across from the western end of san juan cosala. here are a couple of pictures to show you how much higher the lake is this year than last year. the first picture was taken in early september of 2009 from my backyard. the second picture was taken a few days ago from basically the same spot.

by the way, that white tub in the second picture is part of a trashcan from the san cristobal malecon, which is four backyards to my east. it floated over into my backyard a couple of weeks ago. i can't remove it because the ground out there is saturated and walking on it is like walking on quicksand.

Re: [lucky] Lake Level?

With last night's rain we went over our expected annual average of 33.5" - so, everything from here to year's end is gravy. Will be interesting to see what the lake does, seems to be stuck at 96.48 for the last few days. http://www.chapalaweather.net

Re: [chinagringo] Lake Level?

A noticeable difference between these photos and the ones Steve took on August 17! Specifically, the one of the 'steps' just to the west of the Ajijic pier show that one whole step is now under water.... maybe 4-5 inches more water at that point. One more step and it's into the street.

Re: [RickS] Lake Level?

That seemed a good "measuring stick" to check. I figure at 2008 level it would be about the top of the steps. Now, if Conagua's prediction actually came true, add 1 meter? I think that little "slew" is actually a drainage from Colon St. They've now piled a bit of sand at the actual lakefront to keep waves from washing back up there, so will be interesting to follow, but I'm watering plants again, no rain for several days. http://www.chapalaweather.net

Re: [RickS] Lake Level?

Many years back when the Chapala municipal building was the old Hotel Niko there were photos on the wall of the area. And there were photos of Lake Chapala lapping over the top of the Chapala pier and the train station was badly flooded. I don't know where those photos went when the hotel closed.